Broke but not out

Their characters still may be relatively broke, but since they’re entering Season 5 with earlier episodes now in wide syndication, it’s not quite that way for the actresses who play the “2 Broke Girls.”

Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs are getting a later start than usual as New York waitresses and cupcake entrepreneurs Max and Caroline, but they return to CBS with new episodes Thursday. Right off the bat, things are tough all over for them as both their cupcake-sales window and the diner where they work for boss Han (Matthew Moy) are targeted for destruction by city officials.

“We’ve been back at it since the first week of August,” Behrs says of prepping to be called back into the lineup, which happened sooner than later when CBS decided to postpone the premiere of Jane Lynch’s “Angel From Hell” until early 2016. “We were making the episodes as great as they could be – as always – in faith and hope that no matter when we were back on the air, our fans would find us. We were just happy to be making the episodes, knowing they were going to be seen.”

They’ll be seen on a different night now, since the show created by executive producers Michael Patrick King (“Sex and the City”) and Whitney Cummings is moving from its former Monday berth. “It’s an honor in itself,” Behrs reflects of joining a CBS Thursday-comedy schedule that also includes “The Big Bang Theory,” “Mom” and the relatively new “Life in Pieces” (also relocating from Mondays). “All those shows are awesome, and I’m a fan of them all, so I think it’ll be a really fun lineup. And hopefully, we’ll get some new fans from syndication.”

Indeed, Behrs is glad to be starting a “2 Broke Girls” season for the first time while past episodes get frequent weeknight play on many local stations and TBS: “It’s been interesting to find, in the day-to-day fan interactions, that a lot of younger fans have found it. Girls between the ages of 13 and 16 are coming up to me more, and I think that’s because of syndication. I used to watch reruns of ‘Friends’ and ‘Will & Grace’ when I was doing my homework, so I feel like maybe they’re finding the show that way, which is really cool.”

Besides her acting, which also brought her a role opposite two-time Oscar winner Sally Field in the recently filmed movie “Hello, My Name Is Doris.” Behrs is embarking on another career: author. She’s working on a self-help book with a humorous tone and also a strong health slant, but she remains devoted to her series, which she says may take Caroline and Max to Los Angeles in an extended story arc.

“The relationship between Kat and I has developed,” Behrs notes of her principal co-star. “Now, she’s literally one of my closest friends, if not the closest; it’s almost beyond sisters at this point, and I think the show reflects that our friendship is much more evolved, as is that of the girls on the show. We’re insepararable now, and I think that helps on screen. People are able to see how close we are, I hope.”